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For anyone interested, 'NI Ferry Site' and 'Northern Ireland Shipping' groups on Facebook are 2 sites where there is interesting information at times in relation to H & W and the comings and goings in Belfast docks.
There are several shipping enthusiasts on these sites and folk there working in various roles in the harbour estate. There's comments in these groups about Stena Europe possibly getting major deck replacement work.
I don't like the tone either Tango when DAERA use the term 'highly controversial'. It's not up to these desktop reviewers to decide if something's controversial or not. Their role is to assess the application and present their findings to Minister Poots. A more articulate and professional statement from DAERA could have said 'there is a lot of data to review and conflicting opinions from various parties'.
My thoughts are that INFA should ditch the 'Mr nice guy amicable approach' with DAERA and go hard at them from every angle possible to force completion and an outcome to this application. I think JW now bringing the media outlets in to highlight the DAERA dithering (and the economic consequences of it) could be the start of going harder on these folk to get an outcome.
I'm all for amicable discussion and negotiation if required, however DAERA dithering now needs strongly challenged ! !
The item below is from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
https://www.theplanner.co.uk/news/consents-wrangle-leaves-gas-storage-project-in-limbo
This is a site I subscribe to and therefore have access to their reports / news items. I've posted below the full wording from this article for those that can't access the full article in the above link. I have the feeling that INFA are now starting to get a bit less patient and a bit more aggressive in their dealings with DAERA with regards to this marine license application. Maybe it's what's required to move this on.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
InfraStrata, the company behind contentious proposals for a gas storage facility at Islandmagee, has accused the '' ''Northern Irish government of 'dithering' over licences needed before the project, which has planning permission, can proceed.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has confirmed to The Planner that its officials are currently considering applications from InfraStrata for both a marine construction licence and permission to abstract and discharge water.
These are required by the company before it can start building the scheme near Larne, which will involve creating huge caverns under the seabed to store gas.
The department said: “Due to the strategic nature of the proposed Islandmagee project, the award or withholding of these consents will be subject to the minister’s decision.
“DAERA officials are currently working through the determinations. The minister will then consider whether there is a need to refer the decision to the Executive Committee”.
This is because the project is highly controversial and has more than one department involved in approving key aspects of the scheme''.
In all this excitement, us regular ship watchers haven't spotted a wee ferry that's snook in to the Belfast Harbour bookings page.
Stena Europe is coming into H & W on Sunday coming according to the site.
Ta for the info Drango.
Tango. Your 12.07 post about the marketing from the weekend press and stockpickers/tipsters could be very true and would have been so worthy of it's own 'new subject' thread on the board, lol.
I believe next week might have even better share price news as a result of 'weekend press marketing'.
There's always the possibility though that we have some sellers looking to sell and crystalize their gains this week but i imagine with hopefully news due soon that this will limit the short term traders for now.
On a side note, I've topped up with a few more this afternoon myself.
Thanks Drango for that info. I was aware of the number of drydocks they had at Devonport but had no idea they had that acreage of 650. That's a huge area. Do you know if Devonport have previously done much renewables work with turbines or what this acreage has previously been used for ? Cheers.
I'm in INFA a few years now Simbah and have never been as excited as i currently am with the potential that's here in this company.
Don't take your eye of the Islandmagee project though. The billions being discussed in potential MOD work maybe has us a little distracted at the moment, lol. If this Marine License comes through this is MEGA for INFA.
As for large chunky buys, there certainly are a few of these coming in today. It'll be interesting to see what the trading totals end at today. I believe it'll certainly be a big trading day by close of business.
I didnt get to finish my post on size. I posted it by accident before completing, lol.
The exciting factor for me is that at H & W have the capacity to take a massive chunk of MOD work based on their dry dock capacity. They have a massive dry dock that is big enough to hold 4 large cruise ships at the one time (556m x 93m). They also have a dry dock of 335m x 50.29m. This is just Belfast. There's also Appledore and their covered dry dock.
There are other dry docks in the UK but are these currently free ? Bab have other work in these docks and ongoing contracts to meet.
INFA have the size of docks that could handle a lot of work. They're also all free at the mo.
Exciting times !
We're all quite rightly pleased with a 20% increase in share price this week (this includes today so far). Lets be clear though, this rise is on absolutely NO confirmation of any contract coming to INFA (yet). It's on news of increased defence spending and Boris some Boris words.
Here's the question. Where will the share price ACTUALLY go, when there is an announcement of contract news ?
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/boris-johnson-appledore-shipyard-navy-4716958
Here's a news item from Devon Live on the same subject referring to Appledore.
You could be right Tango. I'm not an II, and not even a large shareholder, but this little mushroom here with his 120k+ shares still feels its manners to be be respected with an email acknowledgement back to his email. I'm still waiting after 2 months after taking an hour to put an email together re a marketing idea i had, that could potentially capitalise on the tourism side of the H & W history. Wee things like this pee people off and I'd certainly think twice again of giving up any time to compose an email that I didn't know would ever be read or acknowledged.
I don't comment too often with negativity but I understand Stokey's frustration with no response.
Enough of me being grumpy now, lol, I'm getting excited for tomorrow and hoping for something to get us excited about the INFA future. GLA.
That's right Si, they have various positions along the dock length that they can dry dock in. Its beneficial for several reasons. Theres time and expense of draining a dock area and therefore it gives the option of only having to drain the area needed.
It also gives them the option of using the remaining non dry dock space to bring in another ship/s that might require the heavier lifting capacity of Samson or Goliath cranes.
Also being able to close of the Building dock and still have the other dock space, means to have a long term dry dock in place isn't a great issue having the other space and of course the smaller Belfast Dry dock (BDD) for other works.
Don't forget too that although we talk about the smaller dry dock, this dock is still a very large dock. At the 335 x 50 metres it would comfortably fit a large cruise ship such as one of the Vikings.
The Building dock (BBD) as you say Stokey is a lot bigger than the Dry dock (BDD). It also can do a lot bigger and heavier work as it's the Building dock that has the 2 iconic cranes, Samson and Goliath.
I've attached the H & W website page if you click on the Facilities tab itll show you the facilities on site, Inc both docks.
https://www.harland-wolff.com/
Ahhhhh ! ! ! Typo. I'm hoping on the former not latter, lol. I want this to hit the heights. Go INFA ! !
My views are that for the next 3 trading days we're going to see a rise in the price each day as folk buy in prior to the roadshow Tuesday night (7pm).
My logic on this is that i don't see as many people selling before the 10th as i believe they would have sold by now in the last week or so. After all, with most of us stockmarket investors being optimists, we're hoping for good news on the 10th (aren't we ?) and we're not therefore going to sell so close to this.
Now. The big question. Where's the share price going on the 11th of November and onwards.
Personally I believe it's really really going to GO places, and it won't be languishing in the boring and predictable 35 to 40 range as it has for a while now.
To elaborate on what i mean by 'places', i mean either very dramatically UP or very dramatically DOWN. Obviously I'm hoping on the latter.
Again my reasoning for a very dramatic UP is that we could get some positive news to finally to propel this well in the direction we hope it could go.
My reasoning for a very dramatic DOWN, is that i feel many longer term investors here are getting tired, frustrated and feeling other equities could offer better short term gains, and if there isn't something substantive and positive on Tuesday night then we could see some of these folk jump ship and we see their shares on the sell board.
We all know that the biggest influencer on the price is supply and demand, and if there are loads of sells and little short term demand, we're heading down in my opinion folks. Well down.
Enough of this negative stuff though. I'm sellin nowt (for now). Good luck all, make your own decisions, and mae yer han always howl a hape-nay in it.
With Oceanex Connaigra having left it's good to see the P & O ship European Causeway coming into the Building dock later this week.
https://booking.belfast-harbour.co.uk/ (Traffic Expected tab)
The Belfast Harbour page is showing both Oceanex Connaigra and Stena Adventurer leaving docks tomorrow.
The same page isn't showing any new arrivals coming in this week. It doesn't mean there won't be, but I'd be a little concerned if they do both leave and there isn't some sort of info on what the guys on the ground are working on, or going to be working on.
Let's hope for a good news week.
I posted this thread on Wednesday encouraging us posters here to put up any questions or issues they'd like to see addressed or answered in the 10th November Roadshow.
Stokey, Si Derman and myself have put up a few so far. Let's take this opportunity to say what we think, and ask what we want. There are definitely some of the INFA board who must read this LSE page and anything posted here could very likely get to JW's eyes.
Even if you're not a regular poster or even a first time poster, get a post up and lets give INFA an idea of shareholder sentiment. Obviously try to keep any questions realistic and respectful.
(Personally, I'm excited about the 10th and hope to get an encouraging outlook and maybe even some news from this roadshow).